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| Black caucus opposes
bid to ban racial preferences (03/24/99 - dead link) "Florida's black legislative caucus is opposing an attempt to ban [racial quotas and preferences] in state government, calling it a veiled bid by builders to monopolize state contracting. "State Sen. Daryl Jones, D-South Dade, says the promoter of a ban on racial preferences in government contracting and state university admissions, California businessman Ward Connerly, is a hired gun for a group that wants the restriction, the Florida Associated General Contractors Council.
"Connerly, calling the accusation ``irresponsible,'' says he is personally collecting
no money from the contractors, but rather seeking financial help from them and others
interested in placing a constitutional amendment barring racial preferences on Florida's
ballot in November 2000." (Miami Herald, 03/24/99, by Mark Silva) Black lawmakers attack anti-quota
effort (03/23/99) "Ward Connerly, a black Sacramento housing development consultant, led efforts to eliminate racial hiring laws in California and Washington state and has made Florida his next target. "Sen. Daryl Jones, chairman of the black legislators' caucus, said at a news conference at the Capitol that black lawmakers were calling on the group, Associated General Contractors, to ``cease and desist in its financing of Mr. Connerly's efforts.'' The trade group, which represents 2,000 contractors and builders in Florida, and Connerly say the group hasn't paid Connerly, but acknowledge the association is behind the anti-racial preference effort. "Associated General Contractors started the Florida effort and asked Connerly to raise the campaign's profile and lend his expertise, said Allen Douglas, the group's director in Florida. Douglas and another Associated General Contractors executive, Barkley Henderson, were present at a meeting earlier this year between Connerly and Gov. Jeb Bush. Bush has called Connerly's effort divisive and said he won't support it.
"The contractors' group started a nonprofit organization called the Florida Civil
Rights Initiative to raise money. At least $2 million is likely needed to persuade
Floridians to end affirmative action, Douglas said." (AP, via Tampa Bay Online,
03/23/99) Black
Caucus tries to intimidate Florida Contractors! (03/23/99) "Sen. Daryl Jones, D-Miami, chairman of the Black Caucus, said black legislators were calling on the group, Associated General Contractors, to "cease and desist in its financing of Mr. Connerly's efforts."
"The trade group, which represents 2,000 contractors and builders in Florida, said it
has not paid Connerly but backs the effort to eliminate racial preferences. The
group started a nonprofit organization called the Florida Civil Rights Initiative to raise
money. At least $2 million is needed to persuade Floridians to end [racial quotas and
preferences], said Allen Douglas, the group's director in Florida." 2000 is Targeted
for Vote on Race (03/16/99)
"In an Altamonte Springs restaurant, the charismatic speaker quoted John F. Kennedy
and contended his proposed amendment meets the goals of the 1964 Civil Rights Act in
ending racial discrimination. 'We go back to what Kennedy said: Race has no place
in American life or law,' Connerly told about 40 people who paid $20 to hear him speak.
'The government should not be using it to decide what happens in the transactions of
government.' (St. Petersburg Times, 03/16/99) GOP Cool to
Anti-Racial-Quota Bid by Connerly (03/16/99 - dead link) " 'The word has gone out from the leadership of the Republican Party to oppose this,' said Ward Connerly, the black California businessman trying to get Florida voters to ban affirmative action in the public sector and universities. 'They're trying to send the message that Connerly is not welcome here.' [H]e said Republicans are playing 'racial politics' in an effort to attract black voters, who traditionally vote overwhelmingly Democratic.
"The measure would amend the state Constitution to ban preference programs based on
race, gender and ethnic backgrounds in local and state government hiring and contracting,
as well as university admissions." (Miami Herald, 03/16/99, by Tyler Bridges) Citizen's Ballot Drive
Will Seek End of Racial Quotas (03/15/99 - dead link) "Connerly will announce the drive today in appearances in Jacksonville, Orlando and Miami Lakes. "He has already won voter approval in California and Washington state to prohibit affirmative action in university admissions and government contracting and hiring. Connerly, who believes that affirmative action breeds racial animosity, said Florida is ripe for his next battleground. "But his group, the American Civil Rights Coalition, will carry forth his battle without the support of the state's Republican governor, Jeb Bush, or the Republican leaders of the Florida House and Senate. "Connerly's strongest support in Florida is coming from the Florida Associated General Contractors Council, which represents building contractors. Connerly said he welcomes the support of elected officials, but doesn't need it to win voter approval.
"A poll taken last year by Jim Kane, a Broward County pollster, indicated that
Connerly's measure would pass overwhelmingly in Florida. The measure has simple,
nonthreatening language that has proved to be irresistible to voters. It would require
Florida to 'not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual
or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnic or national origin.' (Miami
Herald, 03/15/99, by Tyler Bridges) Florida
Targeted in Crusade Against Racial Preferences (03/14/99 - dead link) According to the St. Petersburg Times, Connerly said 'Florida is going to be a target for our national movement. I have concluded there is a problem in Florida.'' But while Connerly had the support of Republican Gov. Pete Wilson in California, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush called Connerly's movement divisive and said he will not support it. Nicolle Devenish, Bush's press secretary, vainly tried to promote the idea that the governor is opposed to "quotas and set-asides.'' This, in spite of the fact that Bush has repeatedly declined to openly oppose the use of racial quotas and set-asides in Florida for fear of losing the minority vote. "Connerly, a black conservative, is a member of the University of California Board of Regents, which in 1995 voted to end racial preferences in college admissions. He also pushed for Proposition 209, a 1996 ballot measure approved by voters that eliminated race and gender preferences in state hiring, contracting and education. "A poll commissioned by Connerly within the past three weeks shows 80 percent of Floridians support his belief that college admissions and the awarding of state contracts should be colorblind, Connerly said.
Connerly plans to lead a ballot initiative drive in either 2000 or 2002, but predictably
he is opposed by many prominent black politicians leaders who are afraid of losing prized
job guarantees and school admissions for minorities. (based on FoxNews and AP,
03/14/99) Quota Foe Will
Fight in Florida (03/14/99) "Connerly, who led successful initiatives in California and Washington to end racial preferences, will make three appearances Monday in Florida to make his announcement. 'Florida is going to be a target for our national movement,' Connerly said in a telephone interview with the St. Petersburg Times on Saturday. 'I have concluded there is a problem in Florida.' "Connerly, a member of the California Board of Regents, said he was bolstered by the results of a poll he commissioned within the past three weeks showing 80 percent of Floridians support his belief that college admissions and the awarding of state contracts should be colorblind.
"But Connerly still has some loose ends to tie up, including the wording of the
amendment, raising the millions of dollars it would take to get it on the ballot and pay
for a media campaign to promote it, and enlisting Florida-based organizers to run the
day-to-day operations of the effort. He said he was '100 percent' sure he would
lead an initiative drive in either 2000 or 2002." (St. Petersburg Times,
03/14/99, by Peter Wallsten) Ending
Race Preferences Makes Sense (02/28/99) "If his comments were meant to frighten me into focusing on other states in pursuit of affirmative action reform, he needs to know that common sense is the main reason I have been invited to Florida to join the chorus speaking out against divisive preferential policies. I know Florida is not California. But is Florida less progressive than California and Washington in recognizing that a statewide ban on race-based affirmative action preferences is a matter not only of common sense but also constitutional and moral principles of equal treatment under the law?
"In Washington State, the Republican Party hierarchy and its elected officials
largely wouldn't touch this issue. A few, such as congresswomen Jennifer Dunn and Linda
Smith, would bravely speak out in support. Yet, 79 percent of Republicans voted to end
race preferences. So your political editor's reliance on the Republican Party as the key
to passage of a Florida civil rights initiative ignores the broad-based appeal of the
principle of equal treatment." (St. Petersburg Times, 02/28/99, by Ward Connerly) Connerly Having
Second Thoughts About Florida (02/17/99)
"Connerly emphasized Tuesday that he still had not made a final decision about
whether to come to Florida. He is expected to make a decision by March 15, after he
sees the results of a public opinion poll he commissioned to gauge his support in the
state. But he acknowledged he has been discouraged by a cool reception from the
state's Republican Party and criticism by Gov. Jeb Bush. 'I'm getting a little bit
stronger no's from these dudes than I'd expect,' Connerly
said." (St. Petersburg Times, 02/17/99, by Peter Wallsten) Florida Colleges
Guilty of Racial Admissions (02/13/99) "A report by a former professor of government at Florida State University, who examined 20,000 records, contends that professional schools rely too heavily on race in admissions decisions, to the disadvantage of white applicants.
"Thomas Dye, executive director of the Tallahassee-based Lincoln Center for Public
Service and the Florida Association of Scholars, reached his conclusion after examining
entrance exam scores, undergraduate grade point averages and the race of applicants who
were either denied or accepted." (Jacksonville Times-Union, 02/14/99, by Mary
MacDonald) Florida May be
Next Target of Racial Quota Foes (02/13/99) "The state-funded program is directed at promising [blacks], like Barlow, who want to be lawyers in a state that has few black lawyers. It is named for the African-American attorney whose nine-year legal battle is credited with opening the state law school to black students in the late 1950s. And it is exactly the sort of thing critics of [racial quotas in education] would like to see disbanded, or broadened to include students of all races.
"Ward Connerly, lead architect of a national campaign to end the use of race in
university admissions, financial aid and other government functions, came to Tallahassee
last month to gauge political interest in a Florida campaign." (Jacksonville
Times-Union, 02/13/99, by Mary MacDonald) Connerly
guarantees success -- in so many words (02/07/99) "The smooth-talking California businessman says he will decide by March 15 [1999] whether to bring his campaign here. 'If he comes,' said John Carlson, who ran the Washington campaign, 'he'll win.'
"The reason, say Connerly's supporters and many of his opponents, is the wording of
his question. He doesn't ask voters whether they want to end affirmative action, a concept
many say they support. Instead, he asks whether it should be illegal to offer preferential
treatment based on race and gender when awarding government jobs, contracts and college
admissions. The wording change makes all the difference in the world."
(St. Petersburg Times, 02/07/99, by Tim Nickens) Quota Foe Weighs
Fight in Florida (02/02/99) " 'Well, I look forward to that,' says Stroop, who has asked Connerly to address his group March 15. Connerly agrees to the meeting, but the call ends without Connerly committing to the campaign. "Connerly will not decide for another five weeks whether Florida will get his expertise and his fund-raising prowess. He has received overtures from groups in four other states. Florida would be a plum, but he must decide prudently.
"As a black man arguing that society should ignore skin color, he is pilloried as a
traitor to his race. Comedian Chris Rock brought the 59-year-old Connerly on his show
recently and remarked: 'You're the only old black man who doesn't hate white
people.' " (St. Petersburg Times, 02/02/99, by Bill Duryea) Florida Ignores
Connerly, Risks Backlash Against Affirmative Action (02/05/99) (dead link) "The state's university system was hardly more circumspect in its contempt for Connerly's outsider status. 'Ward Connerly was rebuffed by the governor, turned away by legislative leaders and is obviously an unwelcome guest in Florida because of his divisive message that seeks to undermine the State University System's record of offering opportunities to all people,' [especially if they are of the right skin color] a Board of Regents press release taciturnly boasted.
"Florida officials who are protecting a race-conscious admissions policy have reason
to be defensive. Since Connerly led the fight to eliminate race-based quotas and
preferences in California's state university system, Washington passed its own Proposition
209-type initiative, Michigan has been sued over its schools' race-conscious admissions
policies, and a federal appeals court invalidated a similar quota system in
Texas." (The Salt Lake Tribune, 02/05/99) Ward Connerly Finds Race Bias
in Schools (01/22/99) (dead link) "Touting a study of admissions at three universities -- Florida State, Florida and the University of South Florida -- Ward Connerly said blacks have a better chance of being accepted into Florida's public law and medical schools than white or Hispanic students. 'The report we're releasing . . . is a different form of discrimination,' said Connerly, a California college regent and businessman. 'But it is nonetheless discrimination.'
"Researchers concluded, for instance, that a prospective black student with a 3.5
grade point average and LSAT score of 155 has a 99-percent chance of making the admissions
cut. That can be compared to a 54-percent chance for a white applicant and an 87-percent
possibility for a Hispanic student." (Tallahassee Democrat, 01/22/99, by
Melanie Yeager) Bush Rejects
Anti-Quota Initiative (01/20/99; dead link) "But, following a meeting with the governor, Connerly indicated he is likely to attempt to collect enough signatures to put an anti-affirmative action initiative on the fall 2000 ballot. "Bush says he welcomes Connerly out of courtesy and appreciates his "passion" for his issue, but he has no interest in pursuing the amendment Connerly wants. Bush said it's divisive, and he's not interested in dividing people. "Bush said 'He [Connerly, and others opposed to racial quotas] wants a war. [But] I'm a lover. I can't imagine doing what [Connerly’s] talking about.' "
"Bush spokesman Cory Tilley said the only way Bush would support a cause like
Connerly's is if someone could show that racial discrimination is regularly practiced by
public facilities (!!!!!!) in contracting or hiring. If that was proven, Bush would try to
end the discrimination through executive action or the Legislature -- and avoid a
'divisive' ballot initiative [restoring Constitutional protections against use of racial
quotas]." (Miami Herald, 01/20/99, by Tyler Bridges) Report: Race Plays a Role in
Admission (01/22/99) "At the center of the Florida debate is a study focusing on 20,000 law school and medical school admission records at UF, Florida State University and the University of South Florida. "The study, conducted by the Tallahassee-based Lincoln Center for Public Service, concludes that from 1995 to 1997 about 29 percent of white law school applicants at UF and FSU - a total of 1,746 applicants - likely would have been admitted if they had been considered under the same admissions standards applied to blacks. During the same period, the report estimates, "92 white students were disadvantaged because of their race" in admissions decisions at UF and USF medical schools.
" 'Race,' the report concludes, 'is a major factor in getting into
Florida's law and medical schools. At every level of merit qualification, black applicants
have a much better change of acceptance than either white or Hispanic applicants.'
" (The Gainesville Sun, 01/22/99, by Ray Washington) Ward Connerly Targets Racial
Set-Asides, Quotas in Florida (01/22/99)
Gov. Jeb Bush, fearing a loss of political support from the huge minority voting-blocs in
the state, called Connerly's ideas divisive after a meeting earlier this week. Attempting
to deflect criticism from minority groups, Bush's spokesman released a statement saying
Connerly’s plan has "a lot of heat but no light." (Associated Press
via Naples News, 01/22/99, by Jeffrey McMurray) Florida
Admissions to Medical, Law Schools Challenged (01/21/99) " 'Florida's a state that needs to be dealt with,' Connerly said Wednesday, after leaving his meeting with Bush. Connerly said he will decide this week whether to begin a campaign to put a constitutional amendment on the November 2000 ballot to eliminate racial preferences in admissions and the awarding of state contracts.
"[Connerly] was accompanied Wednesday by two representatives of the state chapter of
the Associated General Contractors, who said white contractors are at a disadvantage when
it comes to winning business from the state." (St. Petersburg Times, 01/21/99,
by Peter Wallten and Stephen Hegarty) Florida (state wide): Bush
Rejects Anti-Quota Initiative (01/20/99; dead link) "But, following a meeting with the governor, Connerly indicated he is likely to attempt to collect enough signatures to put an anti-affirmative action initiative on the fall 2000 ballot. "Bush says he welcomes Connerly out of courtesy and appreciates his "passion" for his issue, but he has no interest in pursuing the amendment Connerly wants. Bush said it's divisive, and he's not interested in dividing people. "Bush said 'He [Connerly, and others opposed to racial quotas] wants a war. [But] I'm a lover. I can't imagine doing what [Connerly’s] talking about.' "
"Bush spokesman Cory Tilley said the only way Bush would support a cause like
Connerly's is if someone could show that racial discrimination is regularly practiced by
public facilities (!!!) in contracting or hiring. If that was proven, Bush would try to
end the discrimination through executive action or the Legislature -- and avoid a
'divisive' ballot initiative [restoring Constitutional protections against use of racial
quotas]." (Miami Herald, 01/20/99, by Tyler Bridges) Slandering Ward Connerly (NY Post
Editorial - dead link)
"Then newly elected Republican Gov. Jeb Bush accused him of wanting to start a race
war. 'I can't imagine doing what he's talking about,' Bush declared after
meeting with the Sacramento-based businessman. 'He wants a war. I'm a lover.' [But]
Connerly is not the one promoting division and ill-feeling here. It's that 'lover,' Jeb
Bush, who chose in this instance to align himself with quota-mongers. They have engaged in
the grossest libels and the most repugnant distortions of Connerly's life and record - and
it's nothing short of shameful that Jeb Bush should be joining in." (NY Post) END of Oldest Florida Initiative 2000 News Archives (3 of 3) |
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